Gov. Matt Blunt nominated Michael J. Schmid (D) to serve on the Missouri Ethics Committee Wednesday.

According to a release from the governor’s office, Schmid is a Jefferson City attorney serving the Fourth Congressional District. He was previously an assistant attorney general in the Missouri Attorney General’s office.

His appointment needs to be confirmed by the senate before he can serve a four-year term ending on March 15, 2012.

Schmid will be replacing Michael Dunard whose term expired.

The state Senate passed a bill yesterday that seeks to make Missouri less attractive for people living and working in America without the correct paperwork.

Gov. Matt Blunt praised the passage of Senate Bill 858.

“Illegal immigration is a serious problem in our country and state,” said Blunt in a written statement. “It is not only an assault on the sanctity of our laws but a potential threat to the safety and security of Missouri families.”

St. Louis Senator Harry Kennedy disagrees.

“I’m worried that this bill amounts to an unfunded mandate on our city and county governments, especially our courts and prison systems,” Kennedy said.

“The mandatory jailing of people whose identities cannot be immediately established will lead to overcrowding in our city and county jails and could lead to the release of offenders who have done much worse than overstayed their visa.”

SB 858, sponsored by Sen. Scott Rupp (R-Wentzville), prohibits the creation of so-called “sanctuary cities” in the state; requires verification of legal employment status of every public employee; allows for cancellation of state contracts for contractors if they hire illegal immigrants; requires public agencies to verify the legal status of applicants before providing welfare benefits; further criminalizes the transportation of illegal immigrants for purposes of human trafficking, drug trafficking, prostitution or illegal labor; and prohibits illegal immigrants from obtaining driver licenses.

The bill also prohibits employers from knowingly hiring illegal immigrants.

“I am very opposed to illegal immigration, but with the current economic downturn, I’m worried about imposing another unfunded mandate on our businesses and local governments,” Sen. Kennedy said.

Gov. Matt Blunt is still feeling good about China and the Beijing Olympics.

Blunt is in China this week along with several other Missouri politicians and business leaders working on forging business ties with the country.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Political Fix Blog is reporting Blunt was asked about calls to boycott the Beijing Olympics this summer in a conference cal with the press.

Blunt is cool with the Olympics despite the controversy surrounding China’s crackdown on protesters in Tibet.

“I have not seen anything that has given me pause - obviously, Beijing is a long way from Tibet,” Blunt said.

While Blunt said the Olympics should be treated separately from the political, he gave one exception, citing if Americans had known about Germany’s actions, the U.S. might have skipped out on the 1936 Olympics in Munich which were hosted by the Nazis.

In other non-Human Rights abuses in China news, the Missouri delegation in China is closer to making St. Louis a business hub for freight and passenger flights from China. Blunt, et al, were able to warm the Chinese up to the idea because of St. Louis’ central location with the United States.

Currently China routes its cargo through West Coast airports like LAX.

The Political Fix says the U.S. envoy and the Chinese are promising to set up a joint study within the next six months to look at the possibilities.

This comes after Blunt signed a separate agreement with Chinese officials regarding St. Louis as a trade hub with China.

It’s the fight against the flood.

A gaggle of bipartisan politicians are throwing down the gauntlet on the US Army Corps of Engineers who plan to go ahead with a man-made flood on the Missouri River. Dubbed the “spring rise,” the purposed flooding comes at pretty atrocious time considering Missouri is in the midst of a major flood crisis after a fierce storm last week.

Gov. Matt Blunt, Attorney General Jay Nixon and Senator Kit Bond are all feverishly calling for a cancellation of the flooding. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch is reporting that Nixon filed a lawsuit Monday to stop the spring rise. Bond has written President George W. Bush and Blunt is appealing directly to Colonel Steven R. Miles with the Army Corps of Engineers.

“When I am getting several updates a day on our response to mother nature’s flood, man-made flooding makes about as much sense as fighting a forest fire with gasoline,” Blunt said in a recent press release.

Blunt also said the flooding has affected “tens of thousands of Missourians,” including five flood-related deaths and damages to property.

Missouri’s rivers have caused major flooding, impacting 70 of Missouri’s 114 counties as well as St. Louis city.

“It is unthinkable that just as we are beginning damage assessments and the recovery process, the federal government has authorized a man-made flood in Missouri,” Blunt said in the release. “The Army Corps of Engineers should stop this reckless action which will only aggravate the flooding that has already hurt many Missouri families.”

The spring rise is a scheduled flooding meant to encourage the spawning of the pallid sturgeon, an endangered fish, by fabricating natural seasonal flooding which will start at midnight tonight, lasting 48 hours and causing a 6 inch rise in flood waters. This is supposed to having every March and May under Fish and Wildlife Service guidelines, but it has routinely faced opposition from state politicians.

They’re China bound!

Gov. Matt Blunt, along with U.S. Senators Kit Bond and Claire McCaskill, are going on a bipartisan trade mission to China this week. The politicians will work on “creating new economic development opportunities between China and Missouri.” They will be heading to the People’s Republic of China with high-level members of government, business and civic leaders from the St. Louis area.

“Missouri businesses have shattered export records every year since I took office in 2005,” Gov. Blunt said in a press release Monday. “This bipartisan trade mission to China, one of our most important trading partners, will help strengthen business relations and help continue Missouri’s outstanding job growth.”

A who’s who of state and St. Louis politics are making the trip including: U.S. Rep. Russ Carnahan, St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay and St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley, former Gov. Bob Holden who serves as the vice chairman of the Midwest U.S.-China Association.

Business leaders making the trek include Richard C. D. Fleming, president and CEO of the St. Louis Regional Chamber & Growth Association (RCGA); David L. Steward, chairman and CEO of World Wide Technology; and executives with Pfizer, Peabody Energy, Unigroup, McEagle Properties, the World Trade Center St. Louis, and Lambert St. Louis International Airport.

Taking a crack at cronyism, gubernatorial candidate, Rep. Kenny Hulshof (R-Mo.) has a proposal that would end the patronage system in Missouri’s fee offices.

The old, controversial system involved about 183 privately run offices that collected vehicle sales taxes, drivers’ license fees and other fees on the state’s behalf. State contractors get to keep a fee for each transaction and were used by past governors of both parties to reward loyal supporters.

Hulshof, who is currently representing the 9^th district in Washington, D.C., is running as a Republican candidate for governor. He is pushing for a more transparent system with an emphasis on customer service, performance and accountability.

“These offices should be awarded in the same manner as every other government contract – in an open and objective way,” Hulshof said in a written release distributed Thursday. “Customer service should be the top consideration when determining who runs these offices, not who offers the most political support.”

The fee offices were a matter of controversy under current Gov. Matt Blunt’s administration. The federal government was questioning former state contractors about the way vehicle license offices were managed under Blunt’s administration. The investigating hinged on irregularities during the transition between former Gov. Bob Holden and Blunt, said the Associated Press.

Then the fee office investigation became tied to larger US Attorney firings scandal when US Attorney Bud Cummins, who was investigating the fee office irregularities, was dismissed from the Department of Justice.

Hulshof’s new proposal requires every fee office be up for an open bid. There will also be a point system to rate the bids, created by the Department of Revenue and Office of Administration.

These points would be based on charitable considerations, customer service initiatives, past performance where appropriate and personnel qualifications.

Hulshof said he would eschew looking at who contributed the most to campaigns, and instead focus on performance and business plans. Hulshof said this will result “in better customer service, taxpayer savings and more confidence in the system.”

Current fee office agents could submit a proposal to continue using their offices. The plan also calls for charities and minority-owned business to submit proposals.

All of these proposals would be up for public scrutiny.

Gov. Matt Blunt nominated two state representatives to the Missouri Ethics Commission Wednesday.

Jeff B. Davidson, 51, of the 6th Congressional District and Jim R. Wright, 54, of the 2nd Congressional District were appointed to the commission. The governor called them “great additions” to the group and said he expects “them to hold themselves and the commission to the highest standards.”

Davison is an attorney with Liles & Davison in Savannah and has a bachelor’s degree from Northwest Missouri State University with a juris doctorate from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Wright is president and CEO of the Kirkwood/Des Peres Area Chamber of Commerce and is from Ballwin. He has a bachelor’s degree from National Louis University.

Both men are replacing representatives whose terms are expiring this Saturday.

Davison is replacing Robert Simpson, a Republican and Wright is replacing Warren Neiburg, also a Republican.

Both positions are subject to Senate confirmation for a term that will last until March 15, 2012.

Because this is a position for the ethics commission, state law requires a more complex process for filling vacancies. Law requires that they produce financial disclosure statements including four years worth of background and history on their campaign donations.

The commission handles complaints regarding conflicts of interest and violation of lobby statutes. They look at possible violates of the campaign finance disclosure law. They also review and audit reports as required under the campaign finance disclosure law.

Gov. Matt Blunt today issued the following statement on Senate Confirmation of Larry Schepker:

“I commend the Missouri Senate for working quickly and in a bipartisan fashion to confirm my appointment of Larry Schepker as Commissioner of the Office of Administration. The Commissioner has many important duties in the operation of state government, and I appreciate that Larry Schepker has the confidence of the legislature to ensure there is no interruption of important state business and service following the sad loss of Mike Keathley.

“Larry Schepker has been one of the keys over the past three years in answering my call to ensure that our state is in a strong financial position. I know his leadership at the Office of Administration will help ensure that our state will continue to thrive and that we have a state government that continues to operate efficiently and within its means.”

State Republicans are having a field day with the results of an investigation by State Auditor Susan Montee (a Democrat) into Attorney General and Democratic candidate for governor Jay Nixon’s use of a state vehicle for political purposes.

From the Missouri Office of Administration:

JEFFERSON CITY - Attorney General Jay Nixon owes Missouri taxpayers at least an additional $8,618.40 for the illegal use of his taxpayer-owned vehicle which he was caught using for politics. Following a request by Commissioner Mike Keathley, State Auditor Susan Montee found that Nixon underpaid the state by thousands of dollars for his illegal use of his state car, but added that the true amount owed by Nixon may never be known because Nixon’s office destroyed documents and did not keep adequate records of his political and personal use of state resources.

“Jay Nixon underpaid the taxpayers of our state by thousands of dollars and he should immediately pay what he owes for the political use of his taxpayer-funded vehicle,” said Rich AuBuchon. “Auditor Montee has provided a good review based on the limited information she acquired,” AuBuchon added.

After Nixon was caught using his state car for political fundraising and other political trips, Nixon conducted an internal audit without any independent verification of its accuracy, but officials in the auditor’s office who investigated the matter found his payment of $47,021.91 was inadequate.

State Auditor Susan Montee informed Commissioner Keathley that Nixon must reimburse the state an additional $8,618.40 after reviewing the reimbursement his campaign made to the state. Nixon’s campaign calculated that they owed the state $47,021.91 for Nixon’s inappropriate use of state resources to pursue his political campaign.

Nixon was caught using his state car for his political campaign and admitted using his taxpayer funded vehicle for campaign activities for at least three years even though his office told the State Auditor that his use of the car “was official use.”

State Auditor Montee told The Associated Press on October 12, that Nixon’s office’s “representation” during the audit was that Nixon used his car for official purposes only. Nixon admitted a year later that he was using his car for his political campaign. It is against state law (Section 29.250 RSMo) to withhold information from state auditors.

“We cannot conclude with certainty that the state was fully reimbursed for the non-official use of a state vehicle and office staff from November 2004 through October 2007,” the Auditor wrote.

“An exact amount cannot be determined due to inadequate records or lack of records. Although some of the assumptions used by your campaign staff to determine the reimbursement amount may be questionable, other methods may not produce results that are more reliable or acceptable because of lack of records,” the letter said.

Here’s a video (courtesy MOPNS.com) shot by a Republican-paid “candidate tracker” of Nixon allegedly using his official state vehicle to attend fundraiser in Columbia:

Here’s another one of Nixon purportedly arriving in the car at a fundraiser in Ladue:

Nixon’s campaign says a check for $8,618.40 has already been mailed to the Office of Administration and today released the following statement:

“We wanted to make sure the campaign properly reimbursed the state, which is why we asked the Auditor to conduct this review in the first place,” said Oren Shur, Nixon’s campaign spokesman.

“We received the Auditor’s letter a couple days ago and immediately put a check in the mail. We consider this matter closed and will continue to focus on the issues important to Missouri voters, like fixing the state’s health care crisis and turning this economy around.”

“What a difference a day makes,” says Democratic spokesman Jack Cardetti.

“Yesterday Missouri Republicans accused Montee, who audited Gov. Blunt’s office, of ‘using her office and taxpayer dollars to support Jay Nixon’s political campaign which is pathetic.’” [Click here to read our earlier report.]

“However, today Republicans praised Montee’s review of Nixon, saying ‘Auditor Montee has provided a good review…’ and that Montee did ‘a terrific job,” said Cardetti in an email to reporters.

What a difference a day makes, indeed.

The Missouri Republican Party today accused Democratic State Auditor Susan Montee of playing politics with her audit of Republican Governor Matt Blunt’s office in order to help his Democratic challenger.

Today’s press release:

Montee Audit a Taxpayer-Financed Media Release for Nixon Campaign

JEFFERSON CITY — Democrat Susan Montee’s audit of the governor’s office is nothing more than a taxpayer-financed media release for Jay Nixon’s political campaign conjured up prior to the governor’s decision not to seek another term. It also is an attempt to shift the public’s focus away from Nixon’s illegal use of state vehicles for partisan political purposes.

In particular, Montee’s attempt to question the use of vehicles as part of the governor’s security detail is a transparent political attempt to try and counter Jay Nixon’s clearly illegal use of state vehicles for political events exposed late last year by the media. Montee also has been protecting Nixon by refusing to audit Nixon’s self-calculated reimbursement and failing to investigate his earlier claims to the state auditor’s office that he only used his state vehicle for official purposes.

“Democrat Susan Montee did not issue an audit today, she issued a taxpayer-financed media release for Jay Nixon designed as a campaign tool against the governor before he decided against a second term. This Nixon media release is also a desperate attempt to excuse Jay Nixon for illegally using taxpayer-financed state vehicles for political purposes,” said Paul Sloca, communications director for the Missouri Republican Party. “Susan Montee is clearly using her office and taxpayer dollars to support Jay Nixon’s political campaign which is pathetic.”